Vietnam Breaking News

Hanoi makes efforts to promote the municipal tourism brand

Hanoi makes efforts to promote the municipal tourism brand
<div><i>The Hanoitimes</i> – According to the draft resolution on developing Hanoi` tourism sector by 2020, the city targets to welcome 30 million visitors, including 5.7 million international passengers, tourism growth rate will reach from 8-10% annually, and gaining 120,000 billion VND from tourism revennue.</div>
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<div>Party Secretary Hoang Trung Hai chaired the meeting to discuss the draft resolution on developing Hanoi’ tourism sector in the period 2016 – 2020 on June 14.<br />
This is one of the two thematic resolutions that the municipal Party Committee selected to focus on deploying the the term.<br />
According to the draft resolution, after almost 10 years of implementing the scheme to develop Hanoi’ tourism in the period 2007-2015, the number of tourists coming to Hanoi has increased significantly, more than 10% yearly, accounting for one third of the total visitors of the country. The municipal tourism revenue increased steadily, reaching 15% year-on-year, ganining nearly 55 trillion VND in 2015.<br />
The draft resolution on the municipal tourism development from 2016 to 2020 identified clearly to build high-quality, professional and concentrated tourism sector.<br />
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<p>Particularly, the city’s tourism should be attached importance to developing cultural tourism, creating a foundation to develop various types of travel, according to the resolution .<br />
The city will review the planning for tourism development till 2020 and orientation to 2030, make and deploy the planning for 6 travel clusters, including: The Hanoi Central; Suoi Hai – Ba Vi; Huong Son – Quan Son; Soc Mountain – Dong Quan Lake; Van Tri – Co Loa; Ha Dong and the vicinity.<br />
Besides, Hanoi tourism will develop turning the Ba Vi – Suoi Hai tourist resort into a national tourist zone by 2030, conservate, invest and develop the traditional villages into attractive destinations for international tourists including Bat Trang ceramics, Van Phuc silk, and Duong Lam ancient village.<br />
Speaking at the event, Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung, the city has been implementing a lot of works to promote the municipal tourism, thus its “smokeless industry” can contribute effectively to the city’s economy.<br />
Hanoi has planted many trees, developed green, clean and beautiful landscapes and streets, and constructed more hotels in the past time, the Chairman noted.<br />
Chairman Chung stressed that the city has also held some international seminars to hear comments from experts on its tourism development direction. Hanoi has actively worked with investors who are interested in investing in parks and great entertainment centres to attract international tourists, according to the Chairman.<br />
Addressing the meeting, Party Secretary Hoang Trung Hai instructed that the city should focus on the administrative reforms and improve the investment environment to attract more big businesses.<br />
Secretary Hai said that, the city’s tourism should focus on building human resources. As a tour guide, apart from the language skills, it is necessary to understand the history and culture of Hanoi, he noted.<br />
Party Secretary Hai stressed, that in addition to a mechanism to attract businesses to invest in tourism in Hanoi, the city also needs to choose the potential investors, both the financial resource and brain power.</p>
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<div>Thu Minh</div>
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Hanoi makes efforts to promote the municipal tourism brand Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/290S4H8" width="200" /><br />

Hanoi makes efforts to promote the municipal tourism brand

Hanoi makes efforts to promote the municipal tourism brand The Hanoitimes – According to the draft resolution on developing Hanoi` tourism ...

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Sapa named in the top 50 most beautiful places in Asia

Sapa named in the top 50 most beautiful places in Asia
<div><i>The Hanoitimes</i> – 3 destinations of Sapa, Hoi An and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam were ranked in the top 50 most beautiful places in Asia chosen by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine, one of the world`s premier luxury and lifestyle travel magazines.</div>
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<div>3 destinations in Vietnam, including Sapa, Hoi An and Ha Long Bay respectively placed 36th, 37th and 38th position in the top list of 50 most beautiful places in Asia voted by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine, were named as the breathtaking sites in Asia where tourists should arrive in.<br />
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<td><img alt="Sapa town." src="http://bit.ly/298uagM" />
<div>Sapa town.</div>
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<p>According to the magazine, Sapa town is an ideal tourist destination with fresh and cool air, and rich national cultural identity.<br />
Hoi An ancient town with mossy houses, wooden bridges and ancient wells is always a magic magnet for both Vietnamese and foreign tourists, Condé Nast Traveler reports.<br />
The magazine wrote that Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a popular travel destination in Quang Ninh province, attracting tourists by thousands of islands with the spectacular scenery on the blue sea.<br /></p>
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<td><img alt="Ha Long Bay." src="http://bit.ly/290Sk9o" />
<div>Ha Long Bay.</div>
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<p>The top 50 most beautiful places in Asia include Bunaken Marine Park and Ubud – Bali in Indonesia, Taj Mahal mausoleum in India, Nara Park in Japan, Luang Prabang in Laos, Jeju island in the Republic of Korea and Langkawi in Malaysia…<br />
Sapa is a famous tourist town located in the Lao Cai province. At a height of 1.560 meters above sea level, Sapa contains many hidden wonders of natural landscape with mountain, hills, green trees and terraces. With a cool climate during the year, winter is often cloudy and cold, sometimes snowy so that Sapa has been called “the fanciful town in fog”.<br />
Once a major Southeast Asian trading post in the 16th and 17th centuries, the seaside town Hoi An is basically a living museum featuring a unique mixture of East and West in the form of its old-town architecture.<br /></p>
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<div>Hoi An ancient town.</div>
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<p>Hoi An has been successful in preserving and restoring its charming roots and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in December 1999.<br />
Ha Long Bay is the center of a larger zone including Bai Tu Long to the northeast and Cat Ba islands to the southwest. It was recognized as World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1994 and listed in the New 7 Wonders in 2012.</p>
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<div>Thu Minh</div>
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Sapa named in the top 50 most beautiful places in Asia Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/298uagM" width="200" /><br />

Sapa named in the top 50 most beautiful places in Asia

Sapa named in the top 50 most beautiful places in Asia The Hanoitimes – 3 destinations of Sapa, Hoi An and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam were rank...

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Fermented pork – the elder love it raw, youngsters want it cooked

Fermented pork – the elder love it raw, youngsters want it cooked
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<p>Fermented pork – the elder love it raw, youngsters want it cooked</p>
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<div>By <a href="http://bit.ly/28JJU90">Pham Van</a> &nbspJune 29, 2016 | 09:45 pm GMT+7</div>
<p>Vietnamese, in an attempt to make raw meat consumable, came up with a dish called ‘nem chua’ – sour fermented minced pork. Youngsters brought up by American fried chicken then got a little creative. VnExpress takes you to the three cooked ‘nem chua’ places in Hanoi that have helped shoot it to the street food constellation.</p>
<p><strong>Fried ‘nem chua’ by Hanh</strong></p>
<p>One of Hanoi’s street food places that has earnt itself a cult with a bunch of followers to keep the fire burning. Fried ‘nem chua’ here has been around for at least 13 years, serving tens of thousands of students from nearby schools, who insist on eating at Hanh’s even as they enter the real world. Some even go as far as having this very junk food, shunned most of the time by careful parents, featured on the most important day of their life. Thriving on a unique kind of mildly sweet ‘nem chua’, the place has gone from a small pavement stall to many’s regular, selling ‘nem chua’, both fried and unfried, often in bulk. ‘Nem chua’ at Hanh’s is served whole, in a plastic cup with a home-made chilli sauce, a combination that perhaps has many chained to this very pavement on Linh Lang Street.</p>
<p><strong>Fried ‘nem chua’ in Tam Thuong Alley</strong></p>
<p>On Hang Dao Street in the Old Quarter lies a small alley named Tam Thuong, which has its name attached the same dish as at Hanh’s, fried ‘nem chua’. ‘Nem chua’ here is served in a more professional and “Vietnamese” way, with the rolls cut into pieces and placed on banana leaves, mimicking the way food is served whenever restaurants want it to look like grabbed straight from the garden. The ‘nem chua’ places in the alley are masters in food pairing, with no plate of ‘nem chua’ sold void of a side dish, be it sweet and salty french fries or cucumber or any juicy fruit.</p>
<p><strong>Grilled ‘nem chua’ in Au Trieu Alley</strong></p>
<p>Au Trieu is lined with hotels, restaurants, shops and all kinds services for its foreigner-based local economy. On one end, the alley boasts a dish that keeps it animated all day. Grilled ‘nem chua’ here is a bit different from that of everywhere else, which are usually served fried and satisfy the sweet tooth. The dish acquires sticky texture from the burned pig skin in the minced pork, partly explaining the lines of customers that fill the narrow alley every night. Recommended to pair with lemon tea and juicy fruit like cucumber and jicama.</p>
<p><em>Related news:</em></p>
<p>> <a href="http://bit.ly/28Tty10">The stinky Hanoi smell that you either love or hate</a></p>
<p>> <a href="http://bit.ly/29crEIs">Hanoi’s banana-leaf-wrapped wonder</a></p>
<p>> <a href="http://bit.ly/28TtFtq">50 shades of ‘che’ to keep summer cool</a></p>
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Fermented pork – the elder love it raw, youngsters want it cooked Related image(s)<br />
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Fermented pork – the elder love it raw, youngsters want it cooked

Fermented pork – the elder love it raw, youngsters want it cooked Related News The stinky Hanoi smell that you either love or hate Ju...

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Tourist arrivals to Hanoi surge

Tourist arrivals to Hanoi surge
<div><a href="http://bit.ly/295eFEG"><img alt="" src="http://bit.ly/295eFEG" /></a>International tourists in Hanoi (Source: VNA)</div>
<p><strong>Hanoi (VNA)</strong> – More than two million international visitors have entered Hanoi so far this year, a 34 percent surge year-on-year, according to the municipal Department of Tourism.</p>
<p>Of which the number of overnight stay tourists reached over 1.5 million, rising 38 percent from the same period last year.</p>
<p>The City has seen double the number of visitors from China and remarkable increase from other key markets, such as the Republic of Korea, Japan, Australia and the US.</p>
<p>The increasing trend has also been recorded from countries enjoying the visa exemption policy of Vietnam, namely France, German, Spain and Italy.</p>
<p>Along with upgrades made to tourism infrastructure, the city has paid attention to improving tourism quality and services while promoting its tourism potential at international markets.</p>
<p>Attracting investments for the tourism sector is also among the city’s top priority.</p>
<p>In the reviewed period, the city has also received nearly nine million domestic visitors, up six percent from the same period last year.</p>
<p>The sector has generated 31.64 trillion VND (1.42 billion USD), a 25 percent year-on-year increase.</p>
<p>Hanoi was listed by the Lonely Planet – the world’s most popular travel guide book publisher – in the Top 10 best-value destinations for 2016.</p>
<p>The city was also named among the top 5 best cities for low-budget vacations in 2015 by DrPrem, a renowned travel and tourism website.-VNA</p>
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Tourist arrivals to Hanoi surge Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/295eFEG" width="200" /><br />

Tourist arrivals to Hanoi surge

Tourist arrivals to Hanoi surge International tourists in Hanoi (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – More than two million international visitors h...

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Vietnam’s tourist arrivals grow 21 percent in first 6 months

Vietnam’s tourist arrivals grow 21 percent in first 6 months
<div>Vietnam’s visa waiver program has continued to pay off, giving the country an impressive surge in foreign arrivals during the first six months, but industry insiders are now waiting anxiously to find out what policymakers will do next.</div>
<div>The General Statistics Office said more than 4.7 million foreigners visited Vietnam, up 21.3 percent from the same period last year.</div>
<div>China remained the top market, followed by South Korea and Japan.</div>
<div>Japanese and South Korean visitors can visit Vietnam for up to 15 days without a visa. Arrivals from South Korean rose 34 percent from a year ago and Japan more than 12 percent.</div>
<div>Other markets that benefit from the same policy – Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the UK – saw increases of up to 30 percent.</div>
<div>Tourism revenues rose 22 percent year-on-year to more than VND200 trillion (US$9 billion). Officials are confident that the country can achieve the targets of 8.5 million foreign visitors this year and $370 trillion in revenues.</div>
<div><strong>Uncertainty</strong></div>
<div>Despite the positive results, uncertainty lurks in the industry.</div>
<div>Representatives of many travel firms have expressed frustration while waiting for the government to make a decision on visa exemptions.</div>
<div>While the waiver rule will stay on through 2019 for certain markets, the visa-free policy for visitors from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK will expire on June 30.</div>
<div>Officials have been expected to extend the policy, but without a confirmation travel companies do not want to take risks.</div>
<div>Luu Duc Ke, director of a company in Hanoi, said the number of clients from the five European markets has increased 18 percent since the policy came into effect a year ago.</div>
<div>He told news website VnExpress that he could not make business plans for upcoming months.</div>
<div>The big problem would be to explain to his partners about the change of policy, he said.</div>
<div>Ke said the policy should continue as it does not only save tourists time and money, but also makes them feel welcome.</div>
<div>“Taking the visa-free policy will disappoint many tourists,” he said.</div>
<div>The tourism ministry in April proposed that the government extend the policy for five years and allow tourists to stay for 30 days.</div>
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Vietnam’s tourist arrivals grow 21 percent in first 6 months Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://ift.tt/1eWmqbm" width="200" /><br />

Vietnam’s tourist arrivals grow 21 percent in first 6 months

Vietnam’s tourist arrivals grow 21 percent in first 6 months Vietnam’s visa waiver program has continued to pay off, giving the country an i...

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Chinese tour guide distorts Vietnam history

Chinese tour guide distorts Vietnam history
<p><em>VietNamNet Bridge – Many Chinese tour guides have entered Vietnam by travel visa to work illegally. In the latest case in Da Nang, a Chinese guide was even detected to distort Vietnamese history.</em></p>
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<p><em><img alt="Chinese tour guide distorts Vietnam history, travel news, Vietnam guide, Vietnam airlines, Vietnam tour, tour Vietnam, Hanoi, ho chi minh city, Saigon, travelling to Vietnam, Vietnam travelling, Vietnam travel, vn news" src="http://bit.ly/293zQbu" /></em></p>
<p><em>Chinese tour guide Xue Chun Zhe distorted Vietnam history while guiding a group of Chinese tourists at Linh Ung Pagoda in Da Nang.</em></p>
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<p>Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of the Da Nang Tourism Department, on June 28 said he had received photos and video clips as evidence that many Chinese tour guides were working illegally in Vietnam.</p>
<p>Evidence showed that the Chinese tour guides broke Vietnam law by spending Chinese yuan to purchase goods in Vietnam. And some of them told tourists inaccurate information about Vietnam history.</p>
<p>According to a video provided to the Da Nang authorities by Vietnamese tour guides who specialize in serving Chinese tourists, when taking a group of Chinese visitors to the Linh Ung Pagoda in Son Tra Peninsula, Da Nang, a Chinese tour guide named Xue Chun Zhe said: “14 centuries ago, Vietnam belonged to the northern part of China. Later, Vietnam became independent and established a country, but it was still a dependent country, which had to pay tribute to China.”</p>
<p>Vietnamese tour guides for Chinese visitors also said that many Chinese tour guides told Chinese tourists that the sea of Da Nang belonged to China.</p>
<p><img alt="Chinese tour guide distorts Vietnam history, travel news, Vietnam guide, Vietnam airlines, Vietnam tour, tour Vietnam, Hanoi, ho chi minh city, Saigon, travelling to Vietnam, Vietnam travelling, Vietnam travel, vn news" src="http://bit.ly/29oip3Y" /></p>
<p><em>A Chinese tour guide uses yuan to buy goods in Da Nang.</em></p>
<p>“Chinese tour guides also told their tourists that Vietnamese people hated China so Chinese tourists should not listen to what the Vietnamese tour guides say. If they work with Vietnamese guides, they did not speak Mandarin, but local accents in Hangzhou, Chengdu, Guangdong, Nanning … so though we know Chinese, we could not understand what they said,” a Vietnamese tour guide for Chinese tourists said.</p>
<p>According to Vietnamese tour guides for Chinese people, there are about 60 Chinese tour guides who work illegally in Da Nang. Most travel companies that serve Chinese tourists are registered by Vietnamese people but they are run by Chinese people.</p>
<p>On June 9, a group of Vietnamese tour guides for Chinese visitors met with representatives of the Da Nang Department of Tourism and handed over photos and video clips of illegal activities of Chinese tour guides in Da Nang.</p>
<p>Under Vietnamese law, foreigners are not allowed to work as tour guides in Vietnam.</p>
<p>Colonel Tran Huu Do, head of the Immigration Administration of the Danang Police Agency, said that foreigners who entered Vietnam with travel visa and worked as tour guides illegally would be deported.</p>
<p>Da Nang authorities said they would investigate and take action to deal with this situation.</p>
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<td>related news</td>
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<p><strong><em>Pha Le</em></strong></p>
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Chinese tour guide distorts Vietnam history Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/293zQbu" width="200" /><br />

Chinese tour guide distorts Vietnam history

Chinese tour guide distorts Vietnam history VietNamNet Bridge – Many Chinese tour guides have entered Vietnam by travel visa to work illegal...

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First baby with Zika-related birth defect microcephaly born in Florida

First baby with Zika-related birth defect microcephaly born in Florida
<p><em>A Haitian woman in Florida has delivered the first baby in the state born with the birth defect microcephaly caused by the Zika virus, Florida’s health department said on Tuesday.</em></p>
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<td><img alt="Florida, Zika-related birth, travel-related Zika infections" src="http://bit.ly/29oilB8" /></td>
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<p><em>Hillsborough County mosquito control drives through a neighborhood spraying against mosquitos in Hillsborough County, Florida, February 2, 2016.</em></p>
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<p>The mother contracted the mosquito-borne virus in her home country and traveled to Florida to give birth, state officials said in statements.</p>
<p>If confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the child will be the fifth in the United States to be born with a birth defect linked with travel to a country in which Zika is circulating.</p>
<p>Another four pregnant women lost their babies as a result of travel-related Zika infections, according to the latest CDC report as of June 16. So far, there have not been any cases of Zika in the United States arising from local mosquito transmission.</p>
<p>The CDC’s U.S. Zika Pregnancy Registry does not specify the states where those cases occurred. Cases of babies with microcephaly previously were reported in Hawaii and New Jersey.</p>
<p>U.S. health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by unusually small head size and potentially severe developmental problems.</p>
<p>The U.S. cases so far involve women who contracted the virus outside the United States in areas with active Zika outbreaks, or were infected through unprotected sex with an infected partner.</p>
<p>Health experts expect local transmission to occur in the United States as mosquito season gets underway, particularly in states such as Florida and Texas.</p>
<p>Florida Governor Rick Scott signed an executive order last week that allocated about $26 million for Zika preparation and response in the state. But in Washington on Tuesday, funding to battle the virus failed to advance in the U.S. Senate.</p>
<p>The connection between Zika and microcephaly first came to light last fall in Brazil, which has now confirmed more than 1,400 cases of microcephaly that it considers to be related to Zika infections in the mothers.</p>
<p>The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika also can cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.</p>
<p><em>Source: Reuters</em></p>
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First baby with Zika-related birth defect microcephaly born in Florida Related image(s)<br />
<img height="200" src="http://bit.ly/29oilB8" width="200" /><br />

First baby with Zika-related birth defect microcephaly born in Florida

First baby with Zika-related birth defect microcephaly born in Florida A Haitian woman in Florida has delivered the first baby in the state ...

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